Sarona, Tel Aviv

Sarona is one of 6 German Templer colonies established in the Holy Land at the end of the 19th C by Gottlob Christoph Jonathan Hoffmann and was one of the earliest modern agricultural villages established by Europeans in then Palestine.

Address
Sarona, Tel Aviv, Israel

Culinary aspects
ME and International cuisines.

Insider Tips
A Hat, good walking shoes, water, camera and goodwill are essentials for a fruitful visit.

Sarona: is one of the 6 German Templer colonies established in the Holy Land at the end of the 19th C by Gottlob Christoph Jonathan Hoffmann.

Sarona was one of the earliest modern agricultural villages established by Europeans in the Palestine.

At the beginning, extreme hardship and disease took a heavy toll on human life. Malaria caused the deaths of 28 of the 125 settlers of Sarona in 1872 alone. In an effort to dry the surrounding marshlands, 1,300 eucalyptus trees were planted.

By 1889, 269 people lived in Sarona. There were 41 homes, a communal hall, a winery, workshops, barns, and sheds. The Sarona colonists brought modern farming tools and practices to the Holy Land. They focused on crops and products they could readily sell. Grain crops and dairy industry first, then orchards and vineyards were planted.

In 1895, the colony had seven gardens tended by hired laborers who received one-third of the earnings. A large winery was opened and wines were marketed in Germany. As the dairy farm expanded, milk, cheese, butter, and meat were sold in Yaffo. Later the colonists of Sarona replanted their vineyards with citrus.

During WWII, the British authorities deported the residents of the German colonies to Australia, for they were considered hard-core Nazi sympathizers.

Since 2003, the Tel Aviv municipality has been working to preserve and restore Sarona. Today Sarona is a beautiful entertainment complex with gardens, shops, restaurants, coffee shops, beer houses, fast food stalls, a small museum and the famous Sarona Market.